Yellow gossan, Gold ore, and a Crystalline nugget.

[jza01701]

Greetings.

I found a gold nugget on a hillside near some visable gold ore.

Happily I tucked it away as a souvenir.

As I have neither the time, funds, or equipment to process ore... I just assumed I found all I would see easily and did not dig around.

There are two yellow gossan outcroppings just bellow the surface exposed on the sandy gravel covered hillside just below where I found the crystalline nugget.

One has a vein that appears oxidized running vertically through it into the ground.

The ore is futher up the hill and looked whitish on the surface and more brownish
underneath.

The area is not a place I could just bring heavy tools and just rip everything apart without ruffling a few feathers.

If I do travel back, should I dig into the ore, the gossan, or just assume I got one nice specimen and call it a day?

 

[Lanny in AB]

If it's open ground that you can prospect, you definitely might want to do further research and prospecting. If it's ground that's not claimable, but you can detect it for sure, I'd slow way down and work very carefully.

All the best,

Lanny

 

[deserdog]

Also I would not assume that is the only nugget. I would sample or metal detect down hill from the outcrops.

 

[Hoser John]

Lean, mean, quiet and clean always rule the day. Discretion is mandatory in this eco insane world-John...would love to see a pic?

 

[jza01701]

I will be in CA April 7-12. I live in MA. Pics after I return.

 

[oldsilver]

from where you found the one piece, start doing test samples (Posthole) every 10 feet moving upward and out as necessary.Put the material in geo. bags and label samples as to where they came from on the grid. This is how we trace float or mineral deposits to the source. Good luck, send me some when you hit the lode!
Good Luck

 

[oldsilver]

Oh yes, I forgot to tell you to pan the samples. or run a falcon through them...Good luck!

 

[jza01701]

Thanks. The one piece of exposed rock on the hillside (either limonite or yellow gossan) has a verticle vein on the top running into the ground. It is about only 6 inches above the surface. It is contrasting brownish coloration to the yellow rock. I might just dig into it. The nugget was crustalline and paper thin. I know it is a lode or vein somewhere on the hill. I only get there once per year in the spring.

 

[jza01701]

 

[jza01701]

The outcrops are like this. Should I dig into them?

 

[spaghettigold]

Do you have gps disabled on your camera?
Cause if i where paranoid(again) i'd be worried about some privats or companys that may well search the prospecting forums for location pics for new unclaimed discoveries. But that's me

 

[IMAUDIGGER]

Sounds like you found a piece of coarse hard rock gold near an outcropping.
I would concentrate on detecting a 25' wide strip of ground directly down hill of the outcropping. I'd carry that line down the hill about 300'.
You may find more float gold detecting than you would find digging ore and crushing/processing it.
Large coils
VLF then PI detector.


If there is no indication of past mining, I'd definitely be doing some minor investigative digging.
If it's not claimed, file a notice with the county and start prospecting.

 

[Ragnor]

If you found stuff laying around then the area is super rich! I'd work at night if I had to. I'm not the kind to walk away from a fortune. My dad found nuggets lying on bedrock in a stream when he was hunting as a kid. I could never believe that he and my grandad just shrugged it off and walked away. By the time I heard the story My dad was dying and my grandad had lost his memory to a large extent. Hard to say if anyone else has ever found it or not. If you find good gold take it all! I know I would.